


In the deep wood

by lervinsmiss



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Creature Levi, M/M, but clearly it's not meant to be and as always it's just weird angst-ish porn, could be seen as non-con but it's not really, idk?, mist spirit, probably just a great big death allegory, this was supposed to prove that you can have fluffy domestic tentacle porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 12:45:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14894874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lervinsmiss/pseuds/lervinsmiss
Summary: Something had been following Erwin.The thing had been plaguing him all week. Skirting at the edge of his vision, blowing phantom breezes across the back of his neck and brushing against an arm or a leg as he worked. Each time he whipped around he could only catch a faint impression of the something as it melted behind the trees.Yes, something had been following him but what?





	In the deep wood

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladymacbethsspot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymacbethsspot/gifts).



> This began as a gift for the effervescent @ladymacbethsspot, patron saint of all things tentacle.
> 
> I had some great chats with her along the way figuring this out. The original can be found over on tumblr [here](https://smiss-miss.tumblr.com/post/172425600108/in-the-deep-wood-part-iv-part-i-part-ii-part-iii).

Something had been following Erwin.

It had been following him for weeks, months even, while he gathered wood and came and went through the trees along the little wooded trail to his cabin.

He couldn’t remember when he’d first felt it; a prickle at the back of his neck as if there were eyes on him, a whisper through the leaves as if disturbed by a breeze when the air was still and silent. He felt certain his mind was playing tricks on him. His isolation must be taking its toll on his senses. He shrugged off the eerie feeling until one cold, winter day.

In the late afternoon, as the sun sank low in the heavy grey sky, Erwin made his way up the trail from the market laden with his bundles of purchases. As he adjusted the weight of his pack on his shoulders the feeling rose up like a sixth sense. Suddenly he was sure there were eyes all around the forest watching, waiting.

His heart seized up with such fear he staggered and fell against a tree. He looked around but, as always, there was no one and no thing in sight. He collected the spilled contents of his pack and hurried home to the warmth and safety of his little cabin, cursing his fanciful mind.

In the morning, refreshed by a hearty meal and an undisturbed slumber, Erwin set out for his day. He opened the cabin door and took in a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air. But when he stepped over the threshold he looked down. There on his porch, with a yellow leaf tucked under it’s crisp strings, sat one of his parcels forgotten in his hurry the evening before.

Yes, something had been following him but what, he did not know.

“ _Thank you_.” He whispered into the air.

***

Erwin began to catch glimpses after that.

A shadow here, a faint shimmer there. Never whole, never clear.

The thing had made its presence known, surely, yet it evaded him still. It, whatever _it_ was, had been plaguing him all week since the delivery of his package to his doorstep. It skirted at the edge of his vision at first, then grew bolder; blowing phantom breezes across the back of his neck and brushing against an arm or a leg as he worked. Each time he turned around he could only catch a faint impression of the something as it melted behind the trees. It didn’t frighten him so much, but by the end of a long day chopping wood and general repairs around his place, Erwin’s patience was already wearing when his illusive watcher traced a ghostly line down his back.

He whipped around to see -nothing, and his composure snapped.

“Show yourself!” Erwin called out. Nothing. He received not a whisper or flicker at his command. He gathered up his tools and trudged back into his cabin. “ _Coward_.” He muttered over his shoulder as he went, utterly exhausted and fed up.

Hours later, he was cleaning up after his supper when a knock at the door startled him. Erwin had never had a visitor to his small cabin before. Not since the keys had been turned over by the landlord’s agent after he had answered the advertisement. The man had assured him then that he would have little but his own company out here, so Erwin had never expected visitors. He wondered who it could be, a lost traveller or someone from the village? A thief?

Erwin shook his head. A thief wouldn’t knock. He went to the door and carefully opened it to see who was calling at such a late hour.

When he beheld the man standing in the doorway all the breath left his lungs.

Erwin second-guessed a moment if he really were a man at all, he was so small and slight. His skin was so pale it nearly glowed in the moonlight. His dark hair seemed to shimmer like the wings of a raven and his eyes had the same quality as his skin, luminous and silver.

No. Erwin was sure this was no man. This was something-. And that is when it clicked in his brain. _The_ something. He fell backwards, stunned to see his silent watcher at last.

“Hello, Woodsman.” It smiled at him as the realisation washed over Erwin’s face. “May I come in?”

***

Erwin stared up at his visitor. The  _ something _ had been occupying a space in the middle of his small cabin for several minutes, quietly looking around, taking in the details of his sparse home. Erwin had been speechless, merely nodded his assent when the creature had asked to enter. He wasn’t sure why he’d agreed, he just couldn’t see a reason to refuse. And now that he was here, within reach and visible, a million questions darted around his mind.

How long had this-  _ thing _ \- been watching him? Where had it come from? What was it? And why had it finally shown itself to him after so many long months?

The thoughts all fought for dominance but before Erwin could even begin to summon the courage to open his mouth the something turned and rested it’s silver gaze on him. It was mesmerizing. The air felt thick and electric under its attention. Time seemed to stand still and his heart raced in his chest.

“ _ Who are you? _ ” Erwin whispered, somehow worried that the sound of his voice would break the spell and send this creature fleeing back into the mists of his imagination.

It’s eyes flashed before it turned away again and the world snapped back into reality. 

“You’re dwelling is very pleasant, Woodsman, although a little untidy.” He could see the corner of it’s thin mouth quirk up, the way it made its cheek bunch. Heard the light, mocking tone in its strange voice. Erwin blushed at the critique, glancing at his books kept on the floor and the dinner he had been clearing away. It was not as if he’d expected company. And who was this- whatever this was, to chide his housekeeping. What was this thing?

“Where did you come from?” He questioned the creature again. It laughed, it sounded like dry leaves rusting in the branches outside. 

“From the wood, of course.” It threw its head back and cast a playful look at Erwin over its shoulder. “Come now, you knew that.” Erwin shook his head. Yes, this was most definitely the something that had been pestering him all that afternoon. It’s wicked little grin made him flush up to his ears. He felt so inadequate in its presence. So helpless under it’s cuel, sharp eyes. It frustrated him so immensely. He thought of his earlier outburst, how it’s incessant needling all the day long had sent him into a such a fluster he’d quit the yard and retreated into the solitude of his cabin. Where it now stood, mocking him further. Withholding it’s true design.

“Why have you come here tonight?” He summoned all his fortitude and matched it’s shimmery stare. The thing turned to face him fully then and it’s lucent face melted into such a pleased expression the air stuck in Erwin’s lungs.

“Well, I couldn’t let you think me a coward Woodsman.” It smiled and it’s thin lips pulled back over neat little rows of teeth that glowed like pearls in candle light. “I would have you knew me better.” 

It stepped toward him then, hand outstretched in offer. Of peace? Erwin could not tell. He felt his hand move without his will, on instinct, drawn to his mysterious guest. Their fingertips touched, just barely, but the contact sent him reeling. Pulled him in like a river current. He was trapped, flailing, lost to the tug.

“Besides,” It whispered as he fought against the pull, the sound bounding around in his head, echoing as if it had spoken directly into his ear, “I love a good challenge.”

***

Erwin came to in his own bed. His head felt like it was full of sand and he lumbered around with heavy limbs and dragging steps all morning. He tried to grasp at the vanishing strands of a dream he couldn’t quite remember. He thought there had been snippets of grey and a haze that enveloped him, recalled the feeling of cold, so cold; but it all slipped away, eluding his reach as the day wore on and he fought to make sense of it. He made up a pot of tea, sat by the fire, tried to read, and ate little. He gave it up when the light faded outside to twilight. His tea had grown cold at his side, forgotten, as he reread the same paragraph for a fifth time. He put himself back to bed. He would try to make a productive day of it tomorrow.

His sleep was deep and dreamless and Erwin woke the next morning well rested with only a vague feeling of having forgotten a chore. He took stock of his supplies, wrote up a list for his next trip into the market, busied himself in his garden and then set out with a hatched to collect kindling and check the paths around his corner of the wood. 

For several hours, the familiarity of routine lulled Erwin back into a thoughtless ease. As he walked back along the rear perimeter of his parcel of land, Erwin noticed an old and tired looking elm. The tree was overburdened with ivy, the vines climbing and cloying up into the branches, strangling the life from it slowly. Erwin took up his hatchet and made a swing at the base of the vine when an icy touch on the back of his neck stopped him.

He sputtered and swung wildly, rearing around to face his assailant.

When his eyes landed on the pale figure so close, so clear the events of the other night flooded back to him.

“ _ I didn’t dream it! _ ” He felt a rush of cold once more but like before he was strangely drawn to his  _ something.  _

“Of course not, Woodsman. Did you really think I was a figment of your mind?” The creature smiled at him with those moonbeam eyes, those pearlescent teeth. Everything about him glowed celestially though the sky was flat and overcast above. In fact, Erwin realized he could see the heavy clouds and woven tapestry of branches through him. His something was not rooted to the ground like the trees around them, not solid and sturdy like them. Real, but spectral.

“Or perhaps a bit of undigested beef.” Erwin mused. His something cocked it’s head, thin brows crumpling. It seemed he had caught it confused for once and Erwin had to smother a self-satisfied grin.

“Why did you stop me?” He asked as his something recovered. He nodded to the elm behind him.

The something snorted haughtily, “Foolish question for someone of your profession,  _ Woodsman. _ ” The creature seemed quite pleased to have the advantage again but Erwin was eager to extract more answers this time and he wagered an equal exchange might do the trick.

“I’m only an amateur groundskeeper, really.” Erwin admitted, “I’m an author by trade.” He smiled coyly.

Erwin stuck out his hand before he could think better of the gesture. “Erwin Smith, pleased to make your acquaintance.” He stood his ground as steely eyes examined his proffered hand suspiciously. The eyes flickered up to Erwin’s and then back to the tree and the thick vines that tangled up its trunk and into its branches.

“Well then,  _ Author _ , I suppose you can be forgiven your ignorance.” The creature simpered and brushed past him, ignoring his hand left poised in mid-air.

It’s fingers traced the heavy vines delicately, leaving a fine pattern of frost crystals in their wake which evaporated in the pale rays of the late winter sun. Erwin’s breath caught in his throat but the creature turned to him before he could comprehend what he witnessed.

“The vines may choke the tree and cause it to wither and die in time but for now they host life of their own.” He-  _ it?- _ gestured upward where starlings flitted in and away amongst the brilliant green leaves. “Everything has its purpose, Erwin. And everything must die.” The voice, again, seemed as if it were coming from inside his own skull, it was so clear and close. “But only when it is ready.”   
Erwin turned and blinked.  _ Gone. _ The creature had vanished back into thin air. Perhaps all it  _ was _ was thin air. He shook his head as if to clear his swimming thoughts and collected his hatchet from the floor. He would ponder it over his supper.

Weeks passed him by slowly after this last meeting. 

Despite everything that had transpired and everything the creature had said to the contrary, it had grown shy. Erwin wondered if he had scared it off. If he had been too forward, too keen. He wondered as well if he should miss his something, if it had ever been  _ his  _ something at all. If he should have been safer to fear it from the start.

But this worry he dismissed straight away. The thing was no worse than any other silent killer; if that, in fact, was it’s design. He could just as easy be taken out here so far from the village by illness, by a miscalculated swing of the axe. By a poorly prepared roast chicken. By poverty. Misadventure was much more exciting when there was an element of adventure to be had. 

And he did miss it. As accustomed as he’d grown to his quiet life, Erwin could not deny the company, as odd as it was, did him good. So he fretted, instead, that it had left him again. He mourned the absence of his quite, curious follower. 

The better part of a month had passed before he felt the presence again. 

One day as he pottered about tending to this and that, there it was. The prickle of the hairs at the back of his neck. The sudden excited racing of his heart. 

It was watching him. 

Somewhere, amongst the trees, his something had returned. 

He feigned ignorance. Continued toiling, careful to show he had taken the creatures advice to heart. Avoided weeding any innocent vines or young shoots. Then he heard it; a rustle of leaves. Unmistakable.

He spun on his heels, arms out. “Please!” He cried, “ _ Stay! _ ”

It was as much command as plea. And Erwin was equally ashamed at his desperation and joyous at the way his something smiled back at him like a long-suffering guardian angel. All exasperation and affectionate placating. It hovered between the trees, neither grounded nor airborne. It waited. 

“Please do not leave me.” Erwin could not help himself from groveling. But his creature must have liked it, for it descended without moving an inch and came to him without ever drifting or flying any closer. 

It was everything and all around him and he would never grow accustomed to this and he would never tire of it.

He reached out to touch his fingers to one milky hand, eyes fixed on it’s predatory silver gaze. He felt no fear, only a rushing, and the chill consumed him and he let it. 

The world went grey then silver. 

And Erwin felt at ease. He knew not when or where or how he was but even with the chill he was mollified. He knew his constant companion, his gossamer comrade was with him. He was everywhere,  _ it  _ was everywhere. And it maybe always had been. And he was glad.

It was as if he had always been on fire before this, quietly smouldering within and finally the lapping of a wave had come to extinguish him.

The soft edges of the silver-mist parted around a face and he thought that he had always known it even when he had never seen it before. But he couldn’t help himself. His mind still craved an answer.

“ _ What are you? _ ” He whispered, desperate to know but unsure if he’d even made a sound.

The mist turned to tendrils, furling and coiling in the air. The wound around him. Holding and caressing him. The face was so close, Erwin could feel the cool comfort billowing, washing over his fevered brow.

“ _ Yours _ .” Simple. No tricks, no teasing in the voice that soothed like a balm. Erwin needed no more explanation now.

Lips brushed. Smoky tendrils ensnared him, held him, squeezed and stroked. He gave himself over to it. Felt the sensitive skin across his body turn to goose-flesh under the careful touch. Felt ghostly fingertips search him out, stir him to life. Felt the gentle probing he hadn’t known he’d longed for, felt the not-unpleasant burn soothed by the calming cool as it began. Cold lips met his own and gave way to a warm wave that flooded his senses. 

He was starving and then he was filled. Desperate and then pacified. He clung tightly and was held. He died. He was finally alive.

He fell and floated, carried by a sweet breeze.

“Sleep,  _ Erwin _ .” He fought but failed.

“Please, Levi.”

And then it all was black.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Like what I do?
> 
> Find me on tumblr [@smiss-miss](https://smiss-miss.tumblr.com)  
> And consider buying me a [coffee!](https://ko-fi.com/A0054ZYX)


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